The U.S.S. Tennessee

Technical Specificaitons

The fifth TENNESSEE was laid down on 14 May 1917 at the New York Navy Yard; launched on 30 April 1919; sponsored by Miss Helen Lenore Roberts, daughter of the governor of TENNESSEE; and commissioned on 3 June 1920, Capt. Richard H. Leigh in command.

TENNESSEE and her sister ship, CALIFORNIA (BB-44), were the first American battleships built to a "post-Jutland" hull design. As a result of extensive experimentation and testing, her underwater hull protection was much greater than that of previous battleships; and both her main and secondary batteries had fire-control systems. The TENNESSEE class, and the three ships of the Colorado-class which followed, were identified by two heavy cage masts supporting large fire-control tops. This feature was to distinguish the "Big Five" from the rest of the battleship force until World War II. Since TENNESSEE's 14-inch turret guns could be elevated to 30 degrees-rather than to the 15 degrees of earlier battleships-her heavy guns could reach out an additional 10,000 yards. Because battleships were then beginning to carry airplanes to spot long-range gunfire, TENNESSEE's ability to shoot "over the horizon" had a practical value.